Of Course Everyone's Talking About Ruth Bader Ginsburg After Justice Kennedy's Retirement
Well everyone, it looks like 2018 is continuing to be the most stressful year of my life. Since news broke that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is stepping down from his role, these tweets about Ruth Bader Ginsburg after Kennedy's retirement prove that the nation is in low-key panic. Same, tbh.
On June 27, Justice Anthony Kennedy shocked everyone when he announced that he would be retiring from the Supreme Court. According to Kennedy, he plans to resign as of July 31, which means Donald Trump will get to appoint the second Supreme Court Justice of his term thus far. Although Kennedy was appointed by a member of the Republican Party, he has often served as a swing vote.
“It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 of those years on the Supreme Court," Kennedy said in his resignation letter.
So why are people so stressed about Kennedy stepping down? With him leaving, that means that Donald Trump has the power to tilt the Supreme Court to the right with a conservative Supreme Court Justice nominee. But that's not to say that nothing's standing in the way. Even after Kennedy's departure there are still four liberal justices keeping things sort of balanced — however one of them, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is officially the oldest justice on the court at age 85, meaning some people are worried that when it comes to retirement, she could be next. Judging from these tweets, I'd say that everyone's rooting for her to persevere at the moment.
Kennedy was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and took his oath of office on Feb. 18, 1988, but the long-reigning Justice decided to step down so he could spend more time with his family, according to a Supreme Court news release. That's great and everything, but I'd be lying if I wasn't pretty worried about the future of the Supreme Court. Kennedy's retirement gives Trump yet another court nomination, and since Justice Ginsberg just celebrated her 85th birthday, the nation is worried that she might have to step down in the near future as well.
Stephanie Schriock, president of political organization EMILY's List which works to get pro-choice women into office, said in a statement shared with Elite Daily that Kennedy's retirement is "terrifying" for women's reproductive health — especially since this is an opportunity for Trump to nominate yet another conservative Justice to the Supreme Court.
She said,
The ramifications of this announcement are enormous and terrifying. Republicans will use this opportunity to nominate and confirm yet another anti-choice justice to the Supreme Court — a single individual with the power to repeal Roe v. Wade; endangering the lives of tens of millions of American women in the process, jeopardizing our health care, and undermining our rights. We will not stop fighting to elect pro-choice Democratic women to the Senate who will defend women's access to safe, legal abortion and other forms of critical reproductive health care and fight for the rights of all Americans. The stakes could not be higher.
Schriock isn't the only woman afraid what this news means for the future of women's reproductive rights. Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, also expressed her dismay at Kennedy's retirement in a statement.
She said,
Today, Justice Kennedy announced his retirement, and because President Trump will nominate the next Supreme Court Justice, a woman’s constitutional right to access legal abortion is in dire, immediate danger—along with the fundamental rights of all Americans. We also know that for decades, a multi-million-dollar, extreme, anti-choice movement has quietly and aggressively chipped away at that right in state legislatures, in lower courts, and now from within the Trump administration. Their stated goal, clearly and loudly, is overturning Roe v. Wade. Our country faces a moment of deep crisis—a crisis of rights, of values, and of leadership. The deeply-divided decisions from the Supreme Court this week are a clear warning that our most cherished values are in jeopardy, and now hang in the balance. Women will not go back to the days when abortion was illegal in this country.
Kennedy's retirement is truly shocking news to us all, but rest assured that Justice Ginsberg herself has stated herself that she will stay on court "as long as I can do the job full steam." Yas.
We love you Queen Justice. Please, for our sake, continue to slay.
